Isabella

The Warrior Queen

Drawing on new scholarship, the author presents a biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus' journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition and became one of the most influential female rulers in history.

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Isabella was a very complex individual during a very turbulent time. She did some things that place her in the hero column and others (or presided over others) that so definitely put her in the villain column. This is a well-executed exploration of the woman, the queen and her milieu.

Can't dispute any of the historicity of the author, who has done a marvelous job of research and thoughtful analysis of Isabella, just never cared for the mass murder which was generated from her reign. She combined the asset forfeiture and CIA illegal torture into one operation of her day, her Inquisition, which funded many an expedition, which led to the slaughter of millions. Definitely Machiavellian in nature. Great book as accurate historical biography.

Makes a good case for Isabella as the founder of an empire, without hiding her less admirable qualities. Its other chief protagonists include Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) and Christopher Columbus.

When Europe was beginning its transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, one of the most powerful monarchs was Isabella I of Castile. Though she's typically named second in the pair "Ferdinand and Isabella," she was queen in her own right, unifying Spain in an era of frequent wars, banishing Moors and Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism, and funding Columbus' voyages to the Western Hemisphere. In Isabella, historian Kirstin Downey demonstrates why she was one of the most significant women in history. This detailed, engaging portrait displays "Isabella's fingerprints on Renaissance culture and religion" (Publishers Weekly). History and Current Events January 2015 newsletter.

When Europe was beginning its transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, one of the most powerful monarchs was Isabella I of Castile. Though she's typically named second in the pair "Ferdinand and Isabella," she was queen in her own right, unifying Spain in an era of frequent wars, banishing Moors and Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism, and funding Columbus' voyages to the Western Hemisphere. In Isabella, historian Kirstin Downey demonstrates why she was one of the most significant women in history. This detailed, engaging portrait displays "Isabella's fingerprints on Renaissance culture and religion" (Publishers Weekly). History and Current Events January 2015 newsletter.